An inspiration for all time: Pioneer Verena Holmes' impact on future engineering practice

Verena Holmes is a pioneer for women in the industry as arguably the first female in the UK to have a full-time career as a professional mechanical, design and biomedical engineer. She was an advocate for widening participation in engineering and dedicated to the development of female engineers. In 1932, Verena Holmes filed a patent for a poppet valve for fluid pressured systems, which in 2022 has provided inspiration for students to conceive, design, implement and operate their own design. The poppet valve project challenges first-year biomedical, mechanical and product design engineering students to consider engineering materials, manufacturing, fixes and fittings, and tolerance considerations. This paper will provide qualitative analysis of the level of practical engineering learning, and the depth of student learning. There is also a quantitative analysis of the students’ evaluation of the learning opportunity, to inspire, develop and stimulate them to be the next generation of engineers.

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